Teammates
by sdrawkcabemdaer5
Summary: An unwitting Yuuri gets hit on by a stranger. But what does baseball have to do with innuendo? Hints of ConYuu.


My first KKM fic! Yay! It's far from perfect, I know. I struggle with humor, and it may be OOC towards the end, but it's a start. Your comments can help! Let me know what you think, good or bad. I'd be most appreciative.

Ok, this probably requires a quick explanation: I once read this yaoi manga where they referred to semes and ukes as 'pitchers' and 'catchers,' respectively (its makes a kind of sense, no?). I was thinking about KKM when this suddenly came to my mind, and I immediately thought of the kind of hilarity this slang could cause for our poor innocent maou. I had to change the terms a little for it to make more sense, but just go with it, ok? Ok.

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It had been a long day's ride by the time they reached the small city on the edge of Mazoku territory. Conrad and Yuuri had set out ahead of the rest of the usual group. Yuuri had practically begged Gwendal to let him have a little time to explore the city in secret without all of the usual fanfare and entourage. He had been reluctant, but finally relented at Yuuri's insistence that it would be fine as long as he wore his usual disguise and stayed by Conrad's side.

After eating diner at the inn Conrad and Yuuri had both decided to retire early for the night. But after Conrad had returned to his own room Yuuri began to feel restless. He knew he should be exhausted, but instead he was tossing and turning, eventually giving that up in favor of pacing around the small room. He decided that it was useless; if he was awake anyway, he might as well go out for a bit. He had promised Conrad not to go anywhere without him, but Conrad was surely already asleep, and Yuuri didn't want to wake him for his own selfish gratification. But if he only went to the tavern downstairs in the inn it should be fine, he reasoned. After all, he wasn't _really_ going anywhere.

Downstairs Yuuri found a cozy, if somewhat boisterous, scene. Locals sat around long tables, enjoying their ale and unwinding after a long day with stories and jokes. Yuuri walked up to the bar and took a seat. He was old enough to drink by Mazoku standards, but he didn't trust himself with anything stronger than fruit juice. He had learned the hard way that he didn't handle Mazoku ale very well. He contentedly sipped on his drink and observed the scene around him. This was a rare opportunity for him to observe his subjects and get a feel for their daily lives.

As Yuuri strained to eavesdrop discreetly a young man sidled up to the bar and dropped onto the stool beside him. Yuuri turned to acknowledge him with a friendly greeting. The stranger was slightly older than Yuuri, and flashed him a charming smile as he looked him over. Yuuri noted to himself that his smile wasn't nearly as warm or sincere as Conrad's. Still, Yuuri was happy at the prospect of chatting with a local.

The young man proceeded to chat up Yuuri, asking the usual polite questions about his travels and how he was enjoying his stay in their city. Yuuri was pleasantly surprised to find that the people in this city were so friendly to strangers. Even in disguise he was often received with coldness or suspicion in new places. He did find it a little strange when the young man repeatedly touched him, though. But it was just a hand on his arm or knee, which was totally normal in some places, right? He didn't want to seem judgmental or rude, so he went along with it. The man downed several drinks while they chatted, becoming increasingly friendly and moving gradually and imperceptibly closer to Yuuri.

As Yuuri took a sip of his drink the young man leaned in close and spoke in a discreetly soft voice.

"You know, you're really cute. How about you play with me tonight? Which are you, a thrower or a receiver?"

The man arched his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, but the gesture was lost on Yuuri.

The young king was honestly confused. What did the man mean by that? And what did one statement have to do with the other?

"Thrower…or receiver?" he muttered, thinking hard. Suddenly it struck him and his face lit up.

"Oh! You mean like a pitcher and catcher?! Ah, I'm a catcher!" he exclaimed happily. The other man smiled lasciviously, but Yuuri failed to notice once again. He was excited that he had found a fellow baseball fan way out here.

"That's what I thought. You look too delicate to be a thrower, after all." The man practically purred in Yuuri's ear.

Yuuri blushed slightly. "Yeah," he admitted, "I've never been any good at pitching. But I am a pretty good catcher. I've been doing it since elementary school, after all."

This excited the man even further.

"That's a long time. You must really _enjoy_ it then?" he asked flirtatiously, his hand resting on Yuuri's arm again.

"Yeah, I love it! Especially playing with Conrad."

The stranger's face fell at that. "Oh? And…who is that?" he inquired casually, trying to mask his disappointment.

"Conrad's my…friend." Yuuri didn't think it would be a good idea to reveal that Conrad was in fact his knight and bodyguard.

"He's a pretty good pitcher, we make a really great team together." Yuuri was smiling happily as he thought about practicing with Conrad on they field they had built in Shin Makoku.

"So, is he the only one you'll 'catch' for?" the stranger seemed a little down now, which confused Yuuri.

"Of course not," he replied, "I've played with plenty of other people before. But Conrad's my favorite."

"In that case, how about you play with _me_ tonight?" the young man whispered, his hand now roving over Yuuri's knee.

"Huh? But it's already dark out. Ah, but I do really wanna play…How about tomorrow?" he suggested brightly.

But Yuuri never received an answer, because at that moment Conrad stepped in, firmly grabbing Yuuri's upper arm and forcing his way between Yuuri and the stranger.

"Heika, what are you doing here by yourself?" he demanded, his voice more relieved than reprimanding.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep. Listen, Conrad, the people here are really friendly! We were just talking about baseball! This guy seems to be a big fan too, isn't that great?"

The stranger looked between the two of them, confused and nervous. He didn't understand what they were talking about, but he had heard the name 'Conrad' and started to back off. Conrad gave the man a suspicious glance.

"Yeah," Yuuri continued, not noticing the tension, "he wants to do some pitching and catching with me. Do you think we'll have some time tomorrow?"

Without another glance at the man Conrad pulled firmly on Yuuri's arm, leading him away and back up the stairs to their rooms.

"Conrad? Hey, what are you doing? Where are we going? Hey, let me say goodbye to him!" Yuuri complained to Conrad's back, but the soldier didn't respond or stop until they were both in Yuuri's room again.

As soon as the door was closed Yuuri demanded an explanation.

"What are you doing? I was having a good time, I wasn't in any danger or anything," he grumbled.

"Yes, you were" Conrad stated flatly.

"Huh? How? We were just discussing baseball, Conrad. You don't have to be so overprotective."

"Yuuri, didn't you realize that no one in this city has even heard of baseball? You didn't find that at all suspicious?"

Yuuri paused to think. He hadn't even considered that, and it made him feel a little stupid. "Well, maybe he's been to Shin Makoku, or someone else told him about it."

"What exactly did he say to you?" Conrad demanded. His tone was more forceful than usual.

"He asked me if I was a pitcher or a catcher. Though he used another phrase…what was it? Thrower or receiver, I think? I wonder how he could tell I play baseball…" Yuuri mumbled, feeling very sheepish in the face of Conrad's reprimands.

Conrad didn't know whether to laugh or yell. His poor king was so naïve, and it made Conrad's task of protecting him even harder. But at the same time, this innocence was part of Yuuri's charm. Conrad thanked the heavens that he had arrived before there had been any serious consequences to this misunderstanding. He decided to be gentle with Yuuri. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't familiar with local slang, after all, and he still had a lot to learn about this world.

"He wasn't talking about baseball…" Conrad began, looking for the right words to explain.

Yuuri was embarrassed at his mistake, but even more curious now. What could possibly make Conrad hesitate like this?

"You see, it refers to the uh…role one takes when two men…engage in…intimate activities," he explained, taking his time to find the right words. Despite his bravest effort he could feel the heat rising in his face.

Yuuri still seemed confused. "Activities? What do you…oh." Yuuri's face turned bright red as he seemed to come to an understanding. Yuuri was certainly aware of male/male relationships, and knew that they were fairly common in this world. He was even engaged to man himself, after all, even if it had been by accident. But he had honestly never given much thought to the mechanics of the …physical aspects of those relationships.

His eyes went wide as he came to another realization. "So you mean, like which one plays the role of the…woman? And I told him that I…oh god." Yuuri thought he might die of embarrassment. How had be made such a huge blunder?! He covered his face in his hands, wanting to disappear entirely.

Conrad understood Yuuri's embarrassment, and tried his best to reassure his king that it wasn't his fault, and no harm had been done. He waited patiently for Yuuri to recover a few shreds of his senses, if not his dignity. The boy seemed to be coming to a realization of a different kind as he finally turned to face Conrad again.

"Conrad…you seem to know a lot about…these kinds of things."

Now it was Conrad's turn to feel sheepish. "Well, I am a lot older than you, Heika. Besides, living among soldiers, these types of things are fairly common…" he trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Yuuri seemed surprised, but after a moment of consideration he seemed to understand.

"So that means you…" He didn't finish the question, and neither did Conrad answer, but Yuuri blushed furiously once again. Thoughts flashed through his head that he'd really rather avoid.

Yuuri worked up the very last shreds of his courage. "So are you a…thrower or a receiver?" his curiosity overcoming even his embarrassment.

The serious expression on Yuuri's face, combined with the utter absurdity of their conversation, was too much for Conrad to take with a straight face. He broke out in laughter, the sound breaking the tension in the room.

"You should know by now that I am a rather terrible pitcher, and you are the only that can possibly catch for me."

His tone was light and teasing, breaking the last of the awkwardness and restoring their usual comfortable mood. Yuuri remembered what he had told the stranger about him and Conrad making a great team. It was true, after all. He joined in Conrad's laughter and felt relieved.

Conrad rested his hand on Yuuri's shoulder and smiled at the young maou. Yuuri was really too cute for his own good. But even more so a moment later when he looked up at Conrad shyly.

"Conrad, do you think that, someday, when I'm ready, that…you could teach me…that game?"

Conrad couldn't suppress a quick blush, and the leap of his heart. No, Yuuri definitely could not get any cuter. Without even stopping to consider of the consequences, he readily granted the request of his king, his friend, his teammate.

"Anything you wish, Yuuri," he murmured, and placed a gentle kiss on his soft black hair. This innocent Yuuri was sweet, but he hoped it wouldn't take _too_ long for the young man to grow up.

END


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